Wednesday, December 30, 2015

At midnight
December 31, the clocks hit “refresh” and a new year begins. What are your
goals for 2016? Better health? Increased wealth? Reading more? Writing more?
Giving back?

How about just plain having more fun?

Last Saturday and
Monday nights, my mother and I spent time in, first, a massive tent in the
parking lots of the Rose Bowl, and second, in a humongous warehouse near
Pasadena. Along with hundreds of other volunteers, we were there to decorate
“Find Your Adventure” themed floats for the 127th Rose Parade on New
Year’s Day.

We were a couple
days too early for the blooming float elements, so we instead worked with dried flowers
and leaves. First we picked black flecks out of a sea of coconut, then we sorted
eucalyptus leaves by size and applied glue to the backs (see photo). Then we were finally
allowed to apply material to a float—or a piece of one. (Our work was the
sliverleaf you can see along the sides and tail of our fish in the second photo.) While I
expected flowers everywhere, what overwhelmed us was glue. Oceans of glue to
apply the leaves, the coconut (when you see white, that’s what it is), the
dried strawflower (all the gold), and the chopped-up statice (the purple).
Oceans of it, making your fingers stick to everything and each other.

In spite of the glue—or
maybe because of it—we had such a blast it’s a wonder the float builders didn’t
charge us to help, and the time we donated was paid back with a lifetime of
happy memories. We’ll never look at the Rose Parade in the same way again.

Funny thing about
volunteering—I find the more I do it, the happier I get. A study by the London
School of Economics agrees: helping others kindles happiness. Aside from the
big smile volunteering smears on your face, other benefits include a sense of
purpose and accomplishment, self-confidence boosts, fond memories, and new
friends.

Want in on the joy?
It’s too late to glue leaves on the Rose Parade floats this year (but let me
know if you want info for next year), but you can still help another wonderful,
annual effort. At the heart of Left Coast Crime Phoenix is a generous team of volunteers
who, among other things, monitor the panels or book signings, stuff registration
packets and book bags, hand out badges, or staff the hospitality suite. You’ll know
them by their positive attitudes and happy faces—and you can be part of the
team! Take a feel-good leap into the New Year and join the LCC Phoenix volunteer
team. Contact our coordinator at volunteer@LCC2016.com.

May 2016 be your
best year yet. See you in Phoenix in February!
____________________Tammy Kaehler is the award-winning author of the Kate Reilly Racing Mystery series.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

I’m an LCC virgin…please be gentle with me. Well, maybe not. I mean, I have no idea what to expect at my first Left Coast Crime. Sure—big names, small names, panels and discussions—both formal and not. But, what’s it really going to be about? What am I hoping to get out of the experience?

Personally, I’m looking for an opportunity to meet people in person…and no, “meet people” not a euphemism for party, party, party. That ship sailed…at least, I think it did. I may have missed the going away bash or maybe the ship simply sank on its way out of the harbor. After all, it was the 60s and 70s. Who knows?

These days, I’m more interested putting faces with names. Of course, I’m not always good at remembering those names. True confession here—I even have trouble with names at my local Starbucks and I see those people all the time!One of the things I do is to interview a lot of authors. To be really accurate, I email-interview a lot of authors. I have a few basic questions I like to use as the foundation and am always amazed at the responses. Who will boil their answers down to the raw details? Who’s going to embellish with their life experiences? Those interviews have helped me to become acquainted with people in the business, but there’s nothing like having a chance to meet and talk in person. That’s one of the things I want to get out of my first LCC—a chance to get to know some of those people better.

The business of writing can be a very solitary job, yet many of the authors I know are extroverts. I often wonder how they’re so outgoing with such an introspective job. Me, I love writing because it lets me explore options in my head. Then, along comes the extrovert stuck inside, who tells me to “get out there.” As a result, I alternate between the two styles—innie one minute and outie the next. Sheesh, if only I could predict who will take charge when. In any case, I’ll be doing my best to put my “innie” personality away for the weekend.

I hope to meet you at LCC, but remember, this is my first time. I may not know all the right moves, but I do want to have fun.
_________________________ Terry Ambrose started out skip tracing and collecting money from deadbeats and quickly learned that liars come from all walks of life. He never actually stole a car, but sometimes hired big guys with tow trucks and a penchant for working in the dark to “help” when negotiations failed. An award-winning author, Terry’s novels receive consistent praise from readers for their complex characters and plots. Kirkus Reviews said Terry’s writing has "...the kind of snark that will remind readers of Elmore Leonard.”

Monday, December 21, 2015

Left Coast Crime 2016, The Great Cactus Caper, is fortunate to honor
four wonderful Guests of Honor (officially, three plus a Toastmaster).
We thought we'd sit down over virtual cups of tea or coffee and get to
know each one a little bit. Our final guest is our Fan Guest of Honor, Chantelle Aimée Osman.

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LCC: What do you especially like about Left Coast Crime?
Chantelle: Other than the fact that every location almost guarantees attendees a sunny vacation? Probably that it’s attended by authors, publishers, agents and readers and yet manages to be the most intimate of the mystery conferences. Also, the volunteers are amazing.

How do you feel about being a Guest of Honor?
Honored. Stunned. Still 99% certain that the e-mail was addressed to the wrong person.

What are you looking forward to at LCC Phoenix?
Having rose petals strewn in front of me wherever I go; riding the Phoenix light rail, or, as I will call it “Chantelle's Mystery Train.”

What should fans, readers, fellow writers know about you?
I’m an editor, so you don’t want to ask me about punctuation unless you have the rest of the day free. (My favorite punctuation mark is the em dash, by the way.) Also, I tend to be highly inaccurate when throwing lawn darts.

What would you say to new attendees to LCC?
Bring comfortable shoes, get a lot of sleep before you get here, and don’t be afraid to join conversations. Welcome to the family!

Monday, December 14, 2015

Left Coast Crime 2016, The Great Cactus Caper, is fortunate to honor
four wonderful Guests of Honor (officially, three plus a Toastmaster).
We thought we'd sit down over virtual cups of tea or coffee and get to
know each one a little bit. Our third guest is our American Guest of Honor, Gregg Hurwitz.

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LCC: What do you especially like about Left Coast Crime?
Gregg: I love that LCC has all the punch of a big convention while feeling much more... intimate. Some of my most memorable conversations—with readers and authors alike—happen in between panels, in the book room, at the bar. My favorite memory was when I interviewed Lee Child in 2010 and threw him some pretty funny curveballs, which he swatted back with his usual wit and aplomb.
Plus I like that all the gigs take place on this half of the country.How do you feel about being a Guest of Honor?
​Delighted! It's pretty special to be recognized in this way by a crew of hardcore, no-messin'-around crime fiction lovers. You guys are my people.

What are you looking forward to at LCC Phoenix?
Talking books with readers. I love hearing about what new stuff you guys are passionate about, which new authors you're falling in love with. I enjoy seeing friends I haven't caught up with in a while. And of course meeting writers I admire and readers I appreciate. ​

What would you say to new attendees to LCC?
Welcome! We're a nice group and most of us don't bite. Please don't be shy—go up and talk to your favorite writers. Ask questions. If you're an aspiring writer, get advice. Buy lots of books, especially those of writers just starting out. There's an amazing list of novelists on the docket this year.